Throwback Thursday (9)

Throwback Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books.

It’s the nature of book blogging to focus mainly on new releases, but there are thousands of great books out there that haven’t seen the “New Releases” shelf in years. We hope to be able to bring attention to some older titles that may not be at the top of the current bestseller list, but still deserve a spot in your To-Be-Read pile.

You don’t have to be a book blogger to participate! You can put up a Throwback Thursday post on your non-bookish blog; or if you don’t have a blog at all, just use the comments to tell us about a book you remember fondly.

Here’s how it works:
1. Pick any book released more than 5 years ago. Adult, YA, Children’s; doesn’t matter. Any great book will do.
2. Write up a short summary of the book (include the title, author, and cover art) and an explanation of why you love it. Make sure to link back to The Housework Can Wait and Never Too Fond of Books in your post.
3. Link up your post at The Housework Can Wait or Never Too Fond of Books.
4. Visit as many blogs as you can, reminisce about books you loved, and discover some “new” books for your TBR list!

Title: Stranger In A Strange Land

Author: Robert A. Heinlein

Original Publication Date: 1961

Publisher: Ace Trade

Available at: Amazon – Kindle – Barnes and Noble

From Goodreads:

It tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a human who has returned to Earth in early adulthood after being raised by Martians on the planet Mars.

The novel explores his interaction with—and the eventual transformation of—Earth culture. The title seems to be an allusion to the phrase in Exodus 2:22 (in the Biblical Book of Exodus).

Heinlein was my first foray into science fiction way back in the 80’s and it was a classic even then. Stranger in a Strange Land was one of my favorite titles of his. Valentine was a beloved character. He was equal parts naivete and wisdom. The idea of  being raised by an alien race on an alien planet seemed entirely plausible to me at the time. I didn’t question it like I would have today. Different subjects were explored like religion and sexuality. The book challenged my thinking and made my question my beliefs.

To date, this was one of the books that really changed my life and it still remains one of the books that I would like to revisit. It’s a true science fiction classic.

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